Briefly nation

More than a dozen abortion providers filed a federal lawsuit Friday in Texas challenging parts of the state's controversial antiabortion law, which limits access to both surgical and medication abortions in the state.

The lawsuit seeks to strike down new requirements that abortion doctors must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic and that all abortions must take place in surgical centers, rather than allowing women take abortion medication at home. The plaintiffs argue that the restrictions impose an unconstitutional burden on a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.

The lawsuit says the requirements, which are due to take effect on Oct. 29, would end abortion services in more than a third of the state's currently licensed facilities and would eliminate services altogether in Fort Worth and five other cities: Harlingen, Killeen, Lubbock, McAllen and Waco.

The lawsuit does not challenge a provision banning abortions after 20 weeks.

N.J. judge backs gay marriage

New Jersey is unconstitutionally denying federal benefits to gay couples and must allow them to marry, a judge ruled Friday.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided with same-sex couples and gay rights groups who sued the state in July days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of a law that blocked the federal government from granting benefits to gay couples.

Gov. Chris Christie said through a spokesman Friday he plans to appeal the decision, which he believes should be determined by a popular vote rather than a court. The judge made the ruling effective Oct. 21, giving Christie time to appeal and likely ask a court to delay implementation of her order.

Ex-EPA official feigned CIA job

A former high-level official at the Environmental Protection Agency pleaded guilty Friday to stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars by pretending to work for the CIA.

For years, John C. Beale disappeared from the office and explained his lengthy absences by telling his bosses he was doing top-secret work. Beale never worked for the CIA, never had top-secret security clearance and carried on a “pattern of deception for over 10 years,” said Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola.

Beale, 64, was charged in August with collecting nearly $900,000 in pay and bonuses for work he avoided performing at EPA.

New details emerged Friday about the scheme. During a 12-year period, prosecutors said, he was away from the office for at least 102 days under the guise of working for the CIA.

He took five personal trips to Los Angeles for what he said was a “special research project” and charged the government $57,000 for his travel.

Pilot dies after in-air heart attack

A United Airlines pilot died after suffering a major heart attack while flying from Houston to Seattle, forcing crew members to make an emergency landing in Idaho while two doctors on board did CPR in the first-class cabin.

Pilot Henry Skillern, 63, of Humble, Texas, was still alive when firefighters and paramedics ran to his aid Thursday night on the Boise Airport tarmac. He died a short time later while being treated at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, spokeswoman Jennifer Krajnik said.

Skillern had been a pilot for United for 26 years.

Passenger Bryant Magill described a professional scene onboard.

“I'm really impressed with all the flight attendants,” Magill told Seattle TV station KOMO. “They kept themselves calm. They kept it professional. There was no panic on the plane.”

Also,

Top Obama administration officials and local leaders on Friday unveiled a strategy to bring $300 million in federal and private-sector help to Detroit to fight blight, improve the city's struggling bus system, boost public safety and encourage business growth in a city fighting for survival in bankruptcy court.

Even as the Army faces shrinking budgets, an audit shows it paid out $16 million in paychecks over a 21/2 -year period to soldiers designated as AWOL or as deserters, the second time since 2006 the military has been dinged for the error. The oversight was blamed primarily on a failure by commanders to fill out paperwork in a timely manner.

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